Process of treating ores.



P. L. T. HEROULT.

PROCESS OF TREATING ORES.

APPLICATION FILED APR.19, 1906.

Patented Aug. 10, 1909.

INVENTOR:

UNITED STATES PATENT ossrcn PAUL LOUIS roussruur HEROULT, or LA PRAZ, FRANCE, ASSIGNOR TO soeIE'T ELECTRO- METALLURGIQUE FRANCAISE, oFrRoeEs, FRANCE..-

rnoonss or-Tnnumo onus.

Specification of Patent.

Patented Aug. 10, 1909.

To all whom'it mag comm:

Be it known that}, PAUL LOUIS Tons- SAINT HnRoUI/r, a citizen of the Republic of France, residing at La Praz, Savo ie, France, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Processes of Treating Ores, of which the following is a specification.

This invention aims to provide an improved process of treating sulfid ores, and which is applicableespecially to the treatment of copper ores.

In the usual process of treating copper ores to extract the coppertherefrom, the ore is smelted to obtain a matte of co per sulfid and iron sulfid, the smelting eliminating the silicates and other im urities constituting the gangue. The res ting matte is of approximately the composition of mFes 120118 with varying uantities of the copper sulfid and the iron s fid, so that the ercentage ofcopper varies from 30 to 60, 50 eing a usual percentage. The matte is then treated in a vessel similar to a Bessemer converter, which burns out the iron and most of the sulfur,

leaving what is known as black copper, which is approximately 90 per cent. ure.

I ropose to treat the ,ore .y. a method which heat on the one hand, and regulation of the consumption of iron and sulfur on the other hand, so that a black copper or a rich matte may be obtained without special difficulty,

and directly, from ores' of widely varying compositions. For this purpose I propose to feed the ore into an electric furnace, fusing it therein and simultaneously injecting air, or oxygen in any other form, into the ore, so as to oxidize part of the sulfur. Preferably sufiicient oxygen is introduced to oxidize a large part of the sulfur and iron, so as to leave only a black copper melt with a slag containing the gangue and the iron. Or as a substitute for an ordinary pyritic smelting for obtaining a rich matte, 'I r ose to blow in only enough air to get ri 0 part of the sulfur and part of the iron- The combustion of the sulfur and iron by means of the oxygen the chargejprevious to its being melted down by the current. Various types of electric furnace (arc, incandescent, orcombination) beused.

separation of the step of oxi zing the iron and sulfur from the step of fusing. I A certain permits of perfect regulation, of the great advantage of this recess is the,

amount of heat is furnished to the charge by the oxidation referred to, but not enough to affect the regulation. The fusing on the other hand is effected Without oxidation. Therefore a Wide range of operations may be effected with perfect accuracy. At one end of the series of o erations would be the mere fusing of the sul ids as the ore passes through the zone of fusion of the furnace and withoutany oxidation of the iron and sulfur. ,At the other end of the series would be the introduc-; tion of oxygen in such ua'ntities as to consume all t e iron and a the sulfur. These two extremes are theoretical, but between the two there is possible the greatest range of adjustment, so that practically any sulfid be treated to produce practically ore may an deslred product.

he accompanying drawing is a verticalsection, more or less diagrammatic, of a furnace suitable for the purpose.

.The current enters through the electrode 'A and passes out through the body B of the furnace.

The are is indicated at .C and the zone of fusion by the dro s of molten material. The ore D is intro need at the top of the furnace, and is gradually fed down through the zone of fusion, the resulting product forming in a 001 E at the bottom of the furnace, with a ayer of sla F floating thereon. The desired product l5 and the slag F are drawn off at desired intervals through ta holes G and H. The air is introduced t rough an annular pipe J above the zone of fusion, and mingles thdroughly with the .ore, rising through the same and effecting the reduction described. A valve,

pressure or uantit of air injected. I Though I ave escribed with great particularit of detail certain specificembodiindicated typically at" K, determines the x ments 0 my invention, yet it is not to be understood therefrom that the invention is limited to the exact embodiments disclosed. skilled in the art,'without departure fromthe' Various modifications may be. made by those invention.

What I claim is: v H 1. The method of treating copperore'containing sulfur which :consists 111' feeding itinto an electric furnace and fusing'it therein and simultaneously inj ecting oxygen into the;

ore to oxidize part of the su r.

tai

2. The method of treating copper ore coning it into an electric furnace and fusing it therein and simultaneouslyinjecting oxygen in suflicient quantity to oxidize a large art of the sulfur and iron, and to leave 0 y a black copper melt with a slag of gangue and iron.

3. The method of treating copper ore containing sulfur which consists in feeding it into an electric furnace and passing it radually through a zone of fusion in sai furnace, and slmnltaneously injecting oxygen into the ore above the zone of fusion to oxidize plart of the sulfur.

4. he method of treating copper ore containing sulfur which consists in feeding it into an electric arc furnace and passing it gradually through a zone of fusion adjacent to the arc and drawing off the fused product at intervals, and simultaneously in'ecting oxygen in sufficient quantity into t e ore above the zone of fusion to oxidize a large part of the sulfur and iron, and to leave only a black copper melt with a slag of g e andiron. 5. The method of smelting sulfid ores 25,

which consists in oxidizing the ore by air an simultaneousl a lying heat ther'eto means of an e ectrlll current, subetantially described. I

6. The method of smelting pyritic ores 80 containing copper, which consists in oxidizing the ore by air and simultaneousl'yappl'y ing heat thereto by means of an electric current, substantially as described.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto is my name in the presence of two subscn ing witnesses.

PAUL toms TOUS8AlN'l ntaounr.

Witnesses:

Dommeo' A. USINA, Fnnn Wm'rn. 

